Recently Sprout Social have done some fascinating research into peoples thoughts on social media and specifically what makes them annoyed with the brand they are following. Although the survey is relatively small (around 1000 people) there are some interesting insights to come out of it.

Top of Annoyances is When Brands OVER Promote

Your social content should not be over promotional. It should be a two way interaction and conversation, rather than a specifically promotional tool.

The other annoyances in ranked order are:

Using slang and jargon

Customers turn away from slang and jargon styles that do not fit with your brand or audience. Some brands try too hard and should just stick to a style that fits better with their message.

Not having any personality on their accounts

You need to decide what your message is and how you are going to get this across. It is no good just passing on information. People like to get a clear picture of what your business is about before they align themselves with it.

Trying to be funny when they’re not

We all know how annoying it can be when a person is trying their utmost to be funny but they are actually not. Some brands try to be too cool and funny and this alienates customers who like to have some valid content from them.

Not replying to messages

You would think that this would be a basic that brands would reply to messages. Surely this is the whole point of social, to enter in to a two way conversation? Well obviously not. So those brands out there not replying to messages, make sure you do!

So these should provide some food for thought when you are planning your social strategy. The last thing you want to do is annoy your customers. So think carefully and devise a social media strategy that doesn’t include the above.